Braun's big hit leads Brewers past Phils again

PHILADELPHIA — The good news for the Phillies is that Ryan Braun only gets to feed off the boos of their fans for one more moonlit night at Citizens Bank Park.

The bad news is trying to figure out how Philly’s Most Hated PED Abuser will eviscerate the Phils next.

After assaulting the Phillies with three homers to ruin their home opener Tuesday, Braun wrote a different storyline Wednesday night: A night of frustration, avenged with late-game heroics.

Braun had struck out three straight times when he stepped into the box in the eighth inning against Antonio Bastardo, the result still in question. That changed when Braun slammed a two-run triple to center field, then made a two-handed gesture that, if not directed at the booing masses, was interpreted by those in the seats to be so.

Whomever the demonstrative gesture was aimed at, Braun’s hit broke the Phillies’ backs, as Milwaukee scored five runs in the final two frames for a 9-4 win, handing the Phillies (3-5) their third straight loss.

Even before Braun drove the ball just beyond the reach of overly busy centerfielder Ben Revere, the Brewers had a lead thanks to some less-than-stellar work by Bastardo and a fielding gaffe by Ryan Howard.

With the score knotted, 4-4, thanks to an RBI single by Marlon Byrd in the bottom of the fifth, Bastardo took over in the eighth and walked Mark Reynolds after getting ahead 0-2, then allowed the slugger to get a huge jump as he stole second. Scooter Gennett sacrificed Reynolds to third, moving the infield in. That’s when Logan Schafer hit a bouncer to Howard’s backhand that the fielding-adverse first baseman failed to glove. The run might have scored, anyway, but Schafer reached second and the error led to Braun adding two insurance runs and infuriating patrons who want to see the Biogenesis-busted slugger eat crow.

(Never mind that the guy pitching to him also was suspended for Biogenesis improprieties.)

The way the first two innings went, it seemed the game might never end, as starting pitchers Matt Garza and Roberto Hernandez got off to shaky starts compounded by fielding gaffes behind them.

The Brewers scored twice in the top of the first, one of an RBI single by Aramis Ramirez, the other when Jimmy Rollins couldn’t glove a two-hopper. The Phils responded with three runs in the bottom of the frame, one that came across on a balk, another on a throwing error by Gennett.

Eventually the fielding cleaned up, as did Garza and Hernandez. Hernandez had nine strikeouts in five innings, showing some of the skills that made him a bright prospect with the Indians years earlier. However, he didn’t strike out Carlos Gomez in the fourth when the Brewers’ electric centerfielder launched a solo homer to left to give them a 4-3 lead.